Election administration in Texas

Election Information
Voter registration
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
All-mail voting
Voter ID laws
State poll opening and closing times
Time off work for voting
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.

THE BASICS

Texas does not permit online voter registration.

Texas permits early voting.

Texas requires an excuse for absentee/mail-in voting.

In Texas, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Texas requires photo identification to vote.

Texas holds open primary elections.

Texas has tools for verifying voter registration and checking the status of absentee ballots.

Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Texas:

• Poll times
• Voter registration
• Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
• Voter identification requirements
• Provisional ballot rules
• Primary election type
• Time off work for voting
• Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

• Voter list maintenance
• Post-election auditing
• Election policy ballot measures
• Election policy legislation
• Ballot access
• Redistricting
• Election administration agencies

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Texas, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Texas is divided between the Central and Mountain time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Voter registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Texas, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which he or she is registering, and at least 17 years and 10 months old.

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary of state’s office, libraries, and high schools. Voter registration certificates are mailed to newly registered voters.

Automatic registration

Texas does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Texas does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

Texas does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Texas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

State law requires election officials to conduct a check of registered voters' citizenship status. Section 18.068 of the Texas Election Code says the following:

“	The secretary of state shall quarterly compare the information received under Section 16.001 of this code and Section 62.113, Government Code, to the statewide computerized voter registration list. If the secretary determines that a voter on the registration list is deceased or has been excused or disqualified from jury service because the voter is not a citizen, the secretary shall send notice of the determination to the voter registrar of the counties considered appropriate by the secretary.	”
—Section 18.068, Texas Election Code

In January 2019, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced that it would be providing local election officials with a list of registered voters who obtained driver’s licenses or IDs with documentation such as work visas or green cards. Counties would then be able to require voters on the list to provide proof of citizenship within 30 days. The review was halted by a federal judge in February 2019, and Secretary of State David Whitley rescinded the advisory in April. A news release from Whitley’s office stated that “... going forward, the Texas Secretary of State's office will send to county voter registrars only the matching records of individuals who registered to vote before identifying themselves as non-U.S. citizens to DPS when applying for a driver's license or personal identification card. This will ensure that naturalized U.S. citizens who lawfully registered to vote are not impacted by this voter registration list maintenance process.”

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Texas Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Early and absentee voting policy

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Texas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

Texas voters are eligible to vote absentee in an election if:

• They cannot make it to the polls on Election Day because they will be away from the county on Election Day and during early voting;
• They are sick or disabled;
• They are 65 years of age or older; or
• They are confined in jail.

To vote absentee, a request must be received by county election officials no later than close of regular business on the eleventh day before the election. The completed ballot must then be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.

Returning absentee/mail-in ballots

See also: Mail ballot collection and return laws by state

In Texas, voters can return absentee ballots can by mail or in person. According to the Texas Secretary of State, absentee ballots can be returned to an "Early Voting Clerk either by mail, by common or contract carrier, or in person on Election Day at [a voter's] county’s early voting clerk’s office."

Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day if returned in person or by mail in an envelope that is not postmarked. Ballots postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day must be received by 5 p.m. on the day after election.

An individual related to a voter “within the second degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity” can return a ballot on behalf of a voter. According to Texas law, the following relationships qualify under that definition:

• spouse
• child or parent
• mother-in-law or father-in-law
• son-in-law or daughter-in-law
• stepson or stepdaughter
• stepmother or stepfather
• grandchild or grandparent (including in-laws)
• great-grandchild or great-grandparent
• sibling (including in-laws)
• aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew by blood relation through parent

Twenty states allow anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions, while 16 states allow anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot. Four states allow only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions, and two states required voters to return their ballots by mail. Eight states and D.C. do not specify who may return ballots.

Signature requirements and cure provisions

Texas requires voters to provide an identification number and signature with their returned absentee ballot. According to the Texas Secretary of State, voters must provide one of the following on their ballot envelope:

“

The number of your driver license, election identification certificate, or personal identification card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS); The last four digits of your social security number, if you have not been issued any of the abovementioned numbers by DPS; OR A statement that you have not been issued a number described by (1) or (2) above.

”

Voters then must sign place their ballot envelope in a carrier envelope and sign the carrier envelope.

Texas has a cure provision requiring election officials on a verification committee to compare the signature on each absentee/mail-in carrier envelope certificate to the signature on the voter's ballot application. If a discrepancy is discovered, an election clerk must notify the voter no later than the second day after the discovery so that they may correct the defect. Texas law requires the clerk to include a brief explanation of each defect in the notice. To correct a defect, a voter may cancel their application to vote by mail and instead vote in person, or they can correct the defect by submitting a corrective action form provided by the secretary of state, or by appearing in person at the appropriate early voting clerk ’s office not later than the sixth day after Election Day. Clerks may also contact a voter by email or phone if they determine that it would not be otherwise be possible for the voter to receive the notice within a reasonable time to correct the defect. Early voting clerks may also notify the voter of the possibility to correct a defect through an online tool, if available.

Thirty-three states have laws that include cure provisions, while 17 states do not. One state, Pennsylvania, allows counties to establish a cure process.

Was your absentee/mail-in ballot counted?

Use the Absentee Ballot Search tool provided by the Texas Secretary of State office to check the status of your absentee ballot.

Voter identification requirements

See also: Voter ID in Texas

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Texas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of February 2023. Click here for the Texas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
• Texas handgun license issued by DPS
• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States passport (book or card)

Identification provided by voters aged 18-69 may be expired for no more than four years before the election date. Voters aged 70 and older can use an expired ID card regardless of how long ago the ID expired.

Voters who are unable to provide one of the ID options listed above can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide one of the following supporting documents:

• Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
• Copy of or original current utility bill
• Copy of or original bank statement
• Copy of or original government check
• Copy of or original paycheck
• Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:

• Voters with a disability
  • Voters with a disability "may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to presenting an acceptable photo identification or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure in the county."
• Voters who have a religious objection to being photographed

Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at any Texas driver’s license office during regular business hours. Voters can also obtain an Election Identification Certificate from a mobile station. Locations are listed here.

Click here to learn more about the background of Texas' law.

Thirty-six states require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 24 require voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 12 accept other forms of identification. The remaining 14 states do not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.

Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

Provisional balloting for voters without ID

Voters who do not have ID while voting may cast provisional ballots. See below for provisional ballot rules.

Provisional ballot rules

Voters in Texas are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.

(1) If the voter’s name does not appear on the list of registered voters, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

(2) If the voter is unable to present proper identification, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

According to the Texas Secretary of State:

“

The provisional voting process involves an affidavit that (1) the voter must complete stating the reasons he or she is qualified to vote; and (2) is used if the voter’s registration cannot be verified by the polling place election officials OR if a voter (a) does not possess one of the acceptable forms of photo identification listed above, and a voter can reasonably obtain one of these forms of identification or (b) possesses, but did not bring to the polling place, one of the seven forms of acceptable photo identification listed above, or (c) does not possess one of the seven forms of acceptable photo identification, could otherwise not reasonably obtain one, but did not bring a supporting form of identification to the polling place. The provisional voting process requires the voter to visit the voter registrar’s office within six (6) calendar days of the date of the election to either present one of the above seven (7) acceptable forms of photo ID OR if the voter does not possess, and cannot reasonably obtain an acceptable form of photo identification, execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and present one of the acceptable forms of supporting ID, OR, if applicable, submit one of the temporary affidavits (e.g., religious objection or natural disaster) OR, if applicable, qualify for a permanent disability exemption, in order for the provisional ballot to count.

”

Was your provisional ballot counted?

A provisional ballot is counted in the following circumstances:

• If the voter is "eligible to vote in the election and has not previously voted in that election"; or
• If the voter provides proper identification, signs an affidavit stating a religious objection to being photographed, or signs an affidavit stating "the voter does not have any identification as a result of a natural disaster that was declared by the president of the United States or the governor, occurred not earlier than 45 days before the date the ballot was cast."

Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Primary election type

See also: Primary elections in Texas

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes)

“

The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: 'I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year.'

”

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Time off work for voting

In Texas, employers commit a misdemeanor level offense if they impede employees' right to two hours paid time off of work to vote--employers are not obligated to grant time off if employees have two hours during non-work time to vote:

“

(a) A person commits an offense if, with respect to another person over whom the person has authority in the scope of employment, the person knowingly: (1) refuses to permit the other person to be absent from work on election day for the purpose of attending the polls to vote; or (2) subjects or threatens to subject the other person to a penalty for attending the polls on election day to vote. (b) It is an exception to the application of this section that the person's conduct occurs in connection with an election in which the polls are open on election day for voting for two consecutive hours outside of the voter's working hours. (c) In this section, "penalty" means a loss or reduction of wages or another benefit of employment. (d) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

”

Twenty-eight states require employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies vary as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

In Texas, people who receive a final felony conviction regain their voting rights automatically upon completion of their entire sentence, including incarceration, parole, probation, or supervision–voting rights can also be restored before the completion of the sentence with a pardon. A final felony conviction includes only the sentence pertaining to the crime. Click here for more information on Texas' treatment of felony convictions and voting rights.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.

Voter list maintenance

All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.

When names can be removed from the voter list

Texas law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:

• confirms in writing that they have moved outside of their voting jurisdiction
• dies
• is adjudged to be mentally incapacitated for the purpose of voting
• is incarcerated for a felony conviction
• is determined to have moved outside of the state
• is determined to be ineligible to vote
• remains on the inactive or suspense voter list through two consecutive general elections.

Inactive voter list rules

Anytime a voter registration certificate sent by election officials to a voter is returned as undeliverable or a voter fails to respond to a confirmation notice, they are to be placed on the voter suspense, or inactive, list. If a voter remains on the suspense list—by not updating their registration information or voting—through two following general elections after being added to the list, their registration is to be canceled.

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

See also: Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."

Twenty-five states are participating members in the ERIC program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have joined and participated in ERIC at some point.

As of August 2023, Texas was not participating in the ERIC program.

On July 20, 2023, Texas Director of Elections Christina Adkins submitted Texas resignation from ERIC, formally withdrawing the state from the organization. The withdrawal will become effective on Oct. 19, 2023, per ERIC bylaws. Alicia Pierce, a representative for Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, said compliance with SB1070, a new law signed y Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on June 18, 2023, was the reason for Texas’ withdrawal. Pierce also said, “As fewer states are participating, the costs are increasing and the amount of data we’re going to receive will be reduced.”

Post-election auditing

Texas state law requires post-election audits, including a traditional post-election audit and a risk-limiting audit. Local election officials conduct a hand count audit of "at least one percent of the election day polling locations and one percent of the early voting locations or in three election day polling locations and three early voting locations, whichever is greater." They also "conduct a manual count of all the races contained on the ballots by mail in at least one percent of the precincts in which a ballot by mail was cast and in which the ballots were counted using automatic tabulating equipment, or in three precincts in which a ballot by mail was cast and in which the ballots were counted using automatic tabulating equipment, whichever is greater." The general custodian of elections conducts a risk-limiting audit for "one or more selected statewide races or measures."

The secretary of state sets the date for the risk-limiting audit, and the hand count audit must begin "not later than the first business day after the secretary of state has certified the completion of the risk-limiting audit," and must be completed "not later than the 30th day after election day or by the deadline designated by the secretary of state for completion of the count, whichever is later." If there are discrepancies, the election official must find the cause of the discrepancy.

Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.

Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.

Forty-six states and the District of Columbia require some form of post-election audit by law, excluding states with pilot programs. Of these, 39 states and the District of Columbia require traditional post-election audits, while three states require risk-limiting post-election audits, and three states require some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.

Noteworthy events

Omnibus election administration bill SB 1 and legal challenges (2021-2025)

On September 7, 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed SB 1 into law, making a series of changes to state laws related to various aspects of election administration and voting.

In his 2021 State of the State speech, Gov. Abbott designated changes to election laws as an emergency priority for the legislature. Lawmakers ultimately passed SB 1 in the legislature's second special session of the year after Democratic walkouts and other opposition stalled two previous versions of the bill.

The bill made changes to various aspects of election law, including but not limited to:

• Early voting: SB 1 extended the requires early voting hours, but banned 24 hour and drive-through voting facilities. The bill required that polling sites be open at least nine hours per day. State law previously required that early voting locations be open at least eight hours per day.
• Absentee/mail-in voting: the bill required voters to include their driver’s license number, state ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their absentee/mail-in ballot application and return envelope. It also restricted who may distribute an application to vote by-mail, and established that election officials must give voters the opportunity to correct absentee/mail-in ballot defects before polls close on Election Day.
• Voter assistance: SB 1 established that an individual assisting a voter must sign a document, under penalty of perjury, attesting that the voter requires assistance due to physical disability or inability to read the ballot language.
• Poll watchers: SB 1 established that a poll watcher must "not be denied free movement where election activity is occurring," and required the secretary of state to create poll worker training programs. It also established that election officials who deny access to poll watchers could be subject to criminal prosecution.
• Crimes: SB 1 established the following activities as crimes:
  • "In-person interaction with one or more voters, in the presence of the ballot or during the voting process, intended to deliver voters for a specific candidate or measure" in exchange for payment or another benefit.
  • "Unlawful solicitation and distribution of a ballot by mail, which will occur when a public official sends an application to vote by mail to somebody who did not request it."

Click here for a full summary of the bill.

After signing the bill, Abbott said in a statement, "Senate Bill 1 ensures trust and confidence in our elections system — and most importantly, it makes it easier to vote and harder to cheat."

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund — self-described as "America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice" — said in a letter to the legislature after the final version of the bill was released, "The bill severely restricts access to voting and undermines Texans’ right to vote. S.B. 1 imposes severe, needless, and discriminatory restrictions on voting by mail and the receipt and provision of voting assistance."

Various groups and individuals filed lawsuits in federal court challenging different aspects of the law. Litigation related to SB 1 began in 2021 and was ongoing in 2025 in both the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and involved differing legal questions, plaintiffs, and defendants in multiple lawsuits.

As of September 2025, litigation was ongoing and portions of the law were blocked by orders from U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, while the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld provisions of the law.

Below is a timeline of major events and relevant documents in these lawsuits in reverse chronological order. This timeline focuses on actions and orders specifically affecting the implementation and enforcement of election administration provisions of SB 1.

• August 29, 2025

  A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld several provisions of SB 1. The opinion upheld the requirement for individuals assisting another voter to submit identifying information and sign an oath under penalty of perjury on the grounds that plaintiffs did not have standing to challenge those provisions. The opinion also upheld the prohibition on paid voter assistance on the grounds that that restriction was not preempted by Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act. At the time, the same provisions of SB 1 remained blocked by district court rulings on the grounds that they violated the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.
  
  Read the full opinion below.

  August 29 5th Circuit opinion

• August 4, 2025

  A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the requirement to provide an ID number to request an absentee ballot did not violate the materiality provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and could remain in place.
  
  Read the full opinion below.

  August 4 5th Circuit opinion

• March 26, 2025

  State defendants and intervenor defendants filed notices of appeal of the March 14 ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

• March 14, 2025

  Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order invalidating multiple sections of SB 1 on the basis that they violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Specifically, the order invalidated sections 5.02, 5.03, 5.07, 6.06, and 7.04, and portions of sections 6.03, 6.04, 6.05, and 6.07 of SB 1 on these grounds.
  
  Read the full order below.

  March 14 district court order

• October 18, 2024

  Judge Xavier Rodriguez partially granted a request to stay additional portions of the district court's October 11 ruling related to sections 6.04, 605, 6.06, and 7.04 of SB 1 until after the November 2024 election. It left in place an enjoinment on section 6.07 of the bill.

• October 17, 2024

  State defendants filed an appeal of the district court's October 11 ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. One day later, intervenor-defendants, including the RNC, also filed an appeal.

• October 15, 2024

  A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals consisting of Judges James Ho, Cory Wilson, and Irma Ramirez unanimously granted a motion to stay pending an appeal the district court's September 28 order blocking section 7.04 of SB 1 on First Amendment grounds. The provision remained blocked by the district court's October 11 ruling.

• October 11, 2024

  Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an order invalidating sections 6.06 and 7.04 and portions of section 6.03, 6.04, 6.05, and 6.07 of SB 1, finding that they were preempted by Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act. The blocked provisions related to compensation for canvassers and voter assistance. The court stayed much of the decision until after the November 2024 election.
  
  Read the full order below.

  October 11 district court order

• October 1, 2024

  State defendants and intervenor defendants filed notices of appeal of the September 28 ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

• September 28, 2024

  Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an order invalidating section 7.04 of SB 1 related to paid canvassers on the grounds that it violated the First and Fourteenth amendments. The blocked provisions defined "vote harvesting" and created three third-degree felonies related to the activity, including accepting compensation for vote harvesting and "knowingly collect[ing] or possess[ing] a mail ballot or official carrier envelope in connection with vote harvesting services."

  Read the full order below.

  September 28 district court order

• December 1, 2023

  Defendants filed a notice of appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court granted the appeal and issued a stay of the district court's decision on December 15.

• August 17, 2023

  Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an order that invalidated several provisions of SB 1 on the grounds that they violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  
  The blocked provisions required early voting clerks to reject mail-in ballot applications and prohibited completed mail-in ballots from being accepted if certain information — the driver's license number, the last four digits of the social security number, or certain alternatives — did not match the number on the individual's voter registration application.Read the full order below.

  August 17 district court order

• March 25, 2022

  The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court order and allowed the Republican National Committee (RNC) and other local and national Republican committees to intervene as defendants in challenges to SB 1. Read the order here.

• November 4, 2021

  The Biden administration's Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in the case.

• September 31, 2021

  Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas granted defendants' request to consolidate various challenges to SB 1 as La Unión del Pueblo Entero, et al., v. Gregory W. Abbott, et al.,. Read the order here .

• September 3, 2021

  Plaintiffs filed an initial complaint challenging aspects of SB 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Read the complaint here.

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Federal judge rules that failing to register voters who update driver's license records online violates the federal National Voter Registration Act (2018-2020)

On March 30, 2018, United States District Court Judge Orlando Garcia issued an order in favor of plaintiffs who argued that Texas officials had violated the federal National Voter Registration Act by failing to register eligible voters who updated their driver's license records online. The National Voter Registration Act required states to provide for voter registration opportunities when citizens applied for or updated their driver's licenses. The one-page order did not detail a required remedy for the violation. On May 10, 2018, Garcia ordered the parties to the suit to submit proposed remedies to the court by May 17, 2018. In this order, Garcia wrote the following:

“

[The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)] encourages Texans to use its online services to renew their driver's license and change their address because it is easier and more convenient. It cannot, at the same time, deny simultaneous voter registration applications when those online services are used. DPS is legally obligated, as a designated voter registration agency under the [National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)], to permit a simultaneous voter registration application with every transaction. Asking motor voters whether they are interested in voter registration and sending them to [the Secretary of State] for an entirely separate application process is not enough. The NVRA demands much more from voter registration agencies.

”

On May 31, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily stayed Garcia's ruling pending appeal, permitting voter registration in Texas to proceed as it had prior to Garcia's ruling. On November 13, 2019, a three-judge panel of the appeals court reversed Garcia's ruling, finding that the plaintiffs who brought the original suit did not have standing to sue because they had, since suing, successfully registered to vote and no longer suffered harm under the state's registration practice.

On August 28, 2020, Garcia again found that Texas had violated the federal National Voter Registration Act by failing to register eligible voters who updated their driver's license records online. Garcia ordered state officials to "immediately take all remaining steps necessary to come into compliance with the NVRA and the U.S. Constitution and establish a DPS System that treats each online driver's license renewal or change-of-address application as a simultaneous application for voter registration."

Election policy ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Texas ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Texas.

1. Texas Proposition 15, Elections for County Surveyors Amendment (1993)
2. Texas Proposition 18, Local Elections With Unopposed Candidates Amendment (September 2003)
3. Texas Proposition 9, Legislative Vacancies Amendment (2001)
4. Texas Proposition 6, Appointment of Presidential Electors Amendment (2001)
5. Texas Proposition 8, State and Local Elections with Unopposed Candidates Amendment (September 2003)
6. Texas Proposition 8, Voting Requirements Amendment (1966)
7. Texas Proposition 2, Election of Railroad Commissioners Amendment (1894)
8. Texas Proposition 1, Poll Tax Payment Amendment (1902)
9. Texas Proposition 7, Qualifications to Vote on Bond Issues Amendment (1932)
10. Texas Proposition 1, Military Poll Tax Exemption Amendment (August 1945)
11. Texas Proposition 4, Poll Tax and Voter Registration Amendment (1949)
12. Texas Proposition 1, Poll Tax Repeal Amendment (1963)
13. Texas Proposition 7, Poll Tax Repeal Amendment (1966)
14. Texas Proposition 14, Voting in the Armed Forces Amendment (1966)
15. Texas Proposition 3, Voter and Election Constitutional Provisions Amendment (1975)
16. Texas Proposition 8, State Debt Ballot Questions Amendment (1991)
17. Texas Proposition 1, Voting in Different Precincts Amendment (July 1915)

Recent legislation related to election administration in Texas

The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Texas. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

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Ballot access

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Texas

In order to get on the ballot in Texas, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Texas. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Texas

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Texas' 38 United States Representatives and 181 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Texas was apportioned 38 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, two more than it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Texas after the 2020 census.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following the 2020 United States Census, Texas was apportioned 38 congressional districts, two more than the number it had after the 2010 census.

Texas' House of Representatives is made up of 150 districts; Texas' State Senate is made up of 31 districts.

In Texas, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. If the legislature fails to approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines (the backup commission is not involved in congressional redistricting).

Texas' congressional and state legislative district maps that were drawn after the 2020 census were subject to litigation. Click here to learn more.

State process

See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures

In Texas, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Texas State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.

If the state legislature is unable to approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines (the backup commission is not involved in congressional redistricting). This backup commission, established in 1948, comprises the following members:

1. Lieutenant governor
2. Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
3. Attorney general
4. State comptroller
5. Commissioner of the General Land Office

The Texas Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and "that they preserve whole counties when population mandates permit."

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Texas can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Texas County Clerks

Click here for a list

Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division

Physical Address: James E. Rudder Building

1019 Brazos St.

Austin, Texas 78701

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 12060

Austin, Texas 78711-2060

Phone: 512-463-5650

Toll free: 1-800-252-8683

Fax: 512-475-2811

Email: elections@sos.texas.gov

Website: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/

Texas Ethics Commission

Physical Address: Sam Houston Building

201 East 14th St., 10th Floor

Austin, Texas 78701

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 12070

Austin, Texas 78711-2070

Phone: 512-463-5800

Email: reception@ethics.state.tx.us

Website: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov

Website: https://www.eac.gov

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See also

• State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
• Factors affecting the speed of ballot counting and delivery of unofficial election results
• Voting in Texas
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Texas
• Redistricting in Texas

Elections in Texas

• Texas elections, 2025
• Texas elections, 2024
• Texas elections, 2023
• Texas elections, 2022
• Texas elections, 2021
• Texas elections, 2020
• Texas elections, 2019
• Texas elections, 2018
• Texas elections, 2017
• Texas elections, 2016
• Texas elections, 2015
• Texas elections, 2014

External links

• Texas Secretary of State - Elections